Heroes for Hire Ep 5 Jameson
by Heroes For Hire
Summary: Hello everyone, and welcome to my 5th story! Just keep in mind, that my marvel universe may differ from the original one (for creative reasons). If you feel the need to contact me about anything, the info is in my bio. Peter Parker meets the Heroes for Hire when he is hunted by a zombie in Queens. Will Danny and Ava hook up? And where did Luke's girlfriend go?


Heroes for Hire S1E5

"Jameson"

By: Anon Anon Edited by: Anon Anon's fiancée

 _Hi, my name's Peter. Peter Parker. And currently, I'm asleep, and also behind schedule. If I don't wake up, I'm going to be late for work...again. Oh? You're confused and have no idea what's going on? Let me explain: my origin is pretty nuanced. Ever since I was a kid, my mom pushed me to become the best person I could be. And, she's done it._

 _I'm on my gap year from college, and my engineering degree, to try and make a couple bucks to help out with payments. So, I'm a field reporter for the prestigious Daily Bugle. I know right, crazy! BUT, it's not quite as good as it sounds, since my boss is kind of a fucking lunatic. Only on six out of seven days each week. Despite_ _ **him**_ _, I love my job. I get to be with my friend, Eddie Brock, and get to interview hot models._

 _Like the underwear models. AND of top of that, I think (not 100% sure) that my long-time friend, Jessica Drew, wants to go out with me. All of that good in one man's life, seems unreal. And will definitely blow up in my face. Especially since I'm going to be late to work._

 _I'll explain why I'm stuck in bed. Probably because of the steamy dream I had, but also because I stayed up late last night fighting crime. WHAT?! You're thinking, I know. At night, I'm a costumed superhero known, for now, as the Scarlet Spider. I met a guy who made me reevaluate my name. He also hurt me a lot. That's a story for another time, however…_

Peter woke up, gasping briefly, before turning around in shock. "Shit" He muttered, before running with as much energy as possible (which wasn't much), trying to get dressed. _Gotta plan for my dinner with J AND get to work, just fuckin great_ Peter thought, buttoning up his shirt. He grabbed a granola bar from the box on his nightstand, and continued to run. "Hello Pete" his Aunt May said, greeting him.

"Hey May" He responded, looking for his shoes. "What's the rush?" She asked. "Gotta get to work, my dude. I mean, lady." Peter hastily responded, rushing out of the front door. "Well, bye" She called, trailing off.

Peter was full on running to the cafe. "HEY!" he called to Jessica. She was sitting there, at the table they usually take. She was wearing the nice short skirt, and the pink glasses she needed to see anything. Jessica may not have been as hot as the countless models Peter had talked to, but she matched his intellect easily.

She was lithe, curvy in her lower half, with a fair skin tone. Her black hair spilled down to her lower back, and even rested on her round but small breasts. Her thick white thighs poked out of her skirt, and were constantly crossing as she watched Peter get closer. _Yes, she's the one_ Peter thought, as he sat down. "So Petey, how ya doin?" She asked with the cute little voice she had, barely looking up from her novel.

"So um Jeeesica" Peter started, not sure how to say the next part of that phrase, "Y'know the thing we talked about?" "Mm-hmm" She muttered, putting down her book and staring right into Peter's eyes with her own bright green eyes. It was truly something for Peter, quite overwhelming. "So, do you-you, oh geez, want to go to dinner with ME tonight?" Peter said, gasping a bit at the end. "Sure…? Peter you know I'd love too, as long as your work schedule allows." Jessica replied, putting life into what she said now.

"Oh ok, thanks" Peter said, blushing and grinning. He caught his friend, Eddie, out of the corner of his eye, and said goodbye to Jessica, departing. "HEY! Eddie!" He called. "Pete! My man! We're going to be late for work, and you know how Jameson gets" He responded, and the two stared at eachother, before hailing a cab. The cab raced towards the Daily Bugle, and when it got there, Peter and Eddie raced towards their office, leaving the cab driver bewildered behind them.

They ran up the fire escape, it creaked the whole way, before the two lunged into the cubicle, sitting down just before their boss entered. "I SWEAR TO GOD YOU TWO BETTER-oh. Well then, let's begin." Jameson started, staring at the two awkwardly. "

I need pictures of Spider Man, or you two fucking sad sacks of shit will be fired. YOU HEAR ME?! Well, not really, but you get the idea? Ok? I want to hear your inbred squeaky prepubescent cum dumpsters respond with something polite, or I'll minimize your minimum wage. My assistant called sick today, and my coffee hasn't been made, so I'm fuming right now. Sorry if I'm a little out-of-control"

Most people would've left in a furious rage, but the longtime employees of the Bugle had gotten used to it. Besides, Jameson didn't really mean it, did he?

"Um, ok boss" Both Eddie and Peter responded, still a bit shocked after all of these years. _Did he just call my mouth a cum dumpster?_ Peter thought, before brushing that aside, and getting to work. Jameson slammed the door as the two unpacked their suitcases, placing their highly expensive cameras on their desks and preparing to head into the city once more.

(Cue theme)

Danny was at the wheel of his bright yellow Corvette Stingray, Ava at his side, and he was loving it. Even though he was driving basically at speed in heavy traffic, he'd wanted to spend the day driving it with a friend. He had just received his permit, and felt on top of the world. "So Danny, how fast does this baby go?" Ava asked coyly, eyeing the gear lever, and listening to the hum of the 6.2 liter turbocharged V8 engine.

The lights turned green, and Danny turned a harsh right, drifting a little causing Ava to giggle wildly. "Oh Danny" she said, regaining her breath, and hugging him slightly, before seeing something in the sky above them. "Is that a fuckin bird?" She muttered, before seeing that it was indeed, a man. "DANNY!" She shouted, as the man swung on some sort of cable mere inches above their heads.

She squealed in terror and Danny followed her gaze to the costumed man, remembering who this was. "Goddamn it!" He shouted, as he turned his car 180 degrees, leaving a cloud of smoke as he chased his enemy. "Who was that?!" Ava shouted over the tires screaming, and Danny responded with "The Scarlet freaking Spider".

The radio buzzed on, screaming "Sabotage", as Danny slammed on the gas, zooming straight into the terrified oncoming traffic. He weaved through, slightly impressed that he was dodging at such high speeds. The Scarlet Spider turned, noticed the bright yellow sports car chasing him, and decided to pick up his pace. Ava screamed, holding onto Danny for dear life, as Danny himself reached for his Hearkenscythe, ready to incapacitate the Spider for good.

Danny drifted between two cars into an alleyway, with Ava still screaming and crying and muttering whenever she got a breath about how she was going to die. Danny gunned the engine even further, finally passing the Spider, which caused him to brake, making a back tire pop from the stress. "FUCK!" Ava screamed, as she was nearly launched through the windshield. Danny caught her before launching an energy orb at the Spider.

He dodged, looking back for only a moment, before leaving hastily. "DAMN DAMN DAMN!" Danny moaned, before starting his car again, and chasing his foe. In the distance now, the two could hear police. "I swear to god I'll catch this...this…" David spoke quickly to Ava. She just stared back with a face of horror, as she clutched her body, making sure all of her was kept in her seat.

He started up his car again; it sagged heavily in the back, and squeaked the whole way. Danny dared not drive it too fast, but had to take in the violent so-called "vigilante" once and for all. "Danny you gotta fuckin stop please stop jesus oh my god stooop" Ava cried, as he started off. This time, it felt like she was on a roller coaster, rather than in a crashing car about to flip, so she was calmer, but the thing that scared her was the ferocity of Danny. "It's going to be ok" Danny said, holding her hand for a moment, before putting it back on the wheel and speeding off.

He saw the Spider again, and took a hard right, catching police cars in his rear view mirror. Suddenly his phone started ringing, and the two nearly jumped with fear, before Ava picked it up timidly. It was Luke.

"SWEET CHRISTMAS DANNY, what the hell are you doing? I'm in the back of a squad car chasing you" Luke started. Ava meekly squeaked back "We're chasing a Spider guy" "Oh my god….are you kidding?! THAT GUY?!" Luke grumbled angrily. The police car veered through traffic clumsily, very unlike Danny's driving. Danny kept driving keeping as close to the Spider as he could, even driving on the curb, sending pedestrians running towards the nearby buildings.

The police sirens grew in volume, and in brightness, as Danny turned a right, believing that he'd cornered the Spider now. But, to the dismay of the two, they saw a large police barricade in front of them, with bull horns and spikes galore. Danny swerved to a halt, in front of a very angry cop. Her name was Misty Knight, and she and Danny had tangled before.

"Just where do you think **you're** going?" She asked, hands-on-hips. Danny blushed heavily, unsure of what to say. Ava glared over at Danny, a glare that spoke _What is this about?_ Danny shrugged nervously, and stared back at the cop. Luke entered the scene, glaring at Danny as well. "Is there something going on that I don't know about?" He finally said, cutting through the immense tension.

"Yeah, you driving like a dumbass, albeit you were chasing the Scarlet Spider. BUT STILL" Luke declared angrily. "Yeah seriously" Ava whispered, fixing her messed up hair, with eyes wide and heart pounding, even now. Misty shook her head disappointedly, and said "Look, I know that you guys are superheroes or whatever, BUT, that doesn't mean that you guys are above the law. I will give you a warning this time, but next time you endanger pedestrians, you all get fined. Understood?"

They all nodded simultaneously, before Misty's walkie began buzzing. "We got a 10-57 on 46th street" She said to the Heroes, "Wanna come?" "W-what's a 10-57?" Luke asked, suddenly nervous. "Missing person, why you ask?" Misty responded, as Danny and Ava got in the back of her Dodge cruiser.

"46th street is where Jessica lives" He said, "We gotta go NOW!" "Ok then!" Misty called, revving up her vehicle and zooming off. "Um, what about my…?" Danny asked. "We'll get it towed. And to an auto shop." She responded, as her siren started up once again.

They were at the Alias building in no time, and quickly rushed into the building where the 10-57 happened. Sure enough, it was Jessica apartment, looking extraordinarily ransacked. Trish, Jessica's friend was being questioned heavily by the authorities, but all she could recall was 'an indigo-ish color'.

Luke sat on Jessica's bed, looking devastated. Danny came over, and held his arm around his friend. "This'll get better, I promise" He said. "No, not unless I go look for her" Luke responded, "Tell Ava I won't be there for the next mission", before leaving the room.

Ava sat down next to a distraught Danny, already knowing what had transpired. "Well, what now Dan?" She said, in a quiet, cute voice. "Well what's our next mission?" He responded. "Ummmm, do we even have one?" She asked, before checking her 'work' phone. "We have Mr. Jameson...from the Daily Bugle. Holy shit. Can you believe that?!" She said, perking up as she went along. "Do you wanna?" He asked. "C'mon big boy, let's go" She said, rushing out of the Alias building.

…

The two vigilantes took the service elevator, quickly getting into their costumes before the doors opened again. "No peeking, eh?" Ava said. "Wouldn't DREAAMM of it" Danny replied, knowing full well that was a lie. The doors opened, and the Iron Fist and White Tiger stepped out, much to the surprise of the employees in Jameson's office.

"What the flippity fuck are these gay strippers doing in MY office?!" Jameson asked, his employees equally as confused as he. "UM, are you talking to US?" Ava said, anger boiling, before Danny pinched her, shaking his head discreetly. Peter Parker came out from his cubicle, saw the Iron Fist, and gasped before retreating to his desk. "OHHH, you guys are those heroes for hire. What's up with these stupid ass clothes?" Jameson roared, laughing. "These conceal our identity" Danny said, cooly.

"Couldn't a fuckin mask or some face shit do the job, seriously. You look like oriental rejects, for christ sake." He pointed out, before gesturing the two to enter his private quarters. Ava shrugged in annoyance, but followed anyways.

"Ok, ok, see here. I need you guys to get me pictures, an interview, I dunno SOMETHING on the Spider guy." He said, lowering his voice and refining his vernacular for the first time in forever. "The Scarlet Spider" Danny corrected, Jameson nodding.

"Yeah that guy. I already have two of my best reporters to find this masked webby fuck, and I think that not only will you find the spider guy faster than those queers, but you might even be able to take him down." He said, excitedly. "Sure, you got a deal" Iron Fist with a huge grin spreading across his face. "OH GOOD" Jameson shouted, patting the two on the back. "And just so you two know, if you catch a pic, make sure to leave this chick's tits out of it. We want readers to fap at Spider guy, not her." Ava fumed as they left.

Luke sat down, more nervous than he'd ever been in his life. Jessica was gone, violently taken, and her friend couldn't even pinpoint what had done it. But, he knew one thing for sure, whatever took her was not a normal human. It was an entity, one that was capable of malevolent deeds; and, he would do everything to get her back.

He walked over to Misty, who looked a lot more cute when she was busy working and being worried, than being the terrifying, strong menace on the streets. Sometimes Luke felt she was better at his job than he was. "Have any details come up yet?" Luke asked. "Nah, not yet" Misty replied, barely looking up. But when she did, she stared right into his eyes, pleading "Maybe you should go home now. You've been sitting there for at least four or five hours. Could you do that for me?"

Luke looked back at her, smiling for the first time today, and said defeatedly "Fine. But I promise I will be here first thing tomorrow. Comprende?" She nodded grimly, grabbing her gun before leaving, ushering Luke out. "Where are you heading?" He inquired curiously. "Need to know" She coldly responded.

…

Ava was still fuming as they left, saying through gritted teeth to Danny "How can one man be so filthy and fucking disgusting?!" Danny shrugged as the two exited the Bugle, ready to go on the prowl for Spider-Man. Suddenly, Ava felt a tap on her arm, and she swirled, looking at Peter and Eddie. "So, we're the field reporters looking for the masked vigilante" Eddie said, smiling.

Danny frowned stoically at the two, Eddie fixing his sentence, "The spider vigilante, not you guys..obviously". "Better" Danny whispered. "So, where do you guys think we should start?" Peter asked, looking Ava up and down every time she wasn't looking. He felt like he did the first time he saw Jessica, but he would still try to go for her. _Why would some sexy cat lady go for me?_ He thought, full of angst.

"So, first things first. We definitely want to split up. If we can coax this...Spider-Man out, you guys can sneak up, or even snap his pic from far away. You got those super zoom lenses?" "Sure" Peter responded, lifting his camera up to show the Heroes. "Wow that lens is...pretty big" Ava said, "Don't take that the wrong way" Danny kept a straight face, for his hero persona was supposed to act quiet, concealed, tough; unlike Danny himself.

"So…" Peter started, as to ask Danny who he was. "Iron Fist" He answered, nodding. "So, where should we go?" "Do you know where the Spider-Man has been seen most often?" Ava asked in a sweet voice, staring at Danny (specifically his dragon insignia) whenever she said "Spider-Man". "Ummm? The projects?" Eddie answered. Ava glared at Eddie, stating "There are projects all over the goddamn place. _Where specifically?_ " "Umm, near Queens, I think?" He asked, looking to Peter. "That's where all the eyewitnesses say" He reaffirmed, and Ava nodded approvingly.

 _Ayyyyyy_ Peter thought, before he finally mentioned "So, there's this cafe where me and my friend hang out. D'ya got a phone or something I can put the address into?" "You can just tell us the place's name" Danny responded stoically. "Mancini's Pizza and Pasta" Peter told them, before the two groups were to split up. "Thaaaaanks" Ava called, as the two vigilantes hit the back alleys.

…

"What a bunch of weirdos" Eddie remarked as the Heroes left. "I dunno, they seem cool" Peter responded. "You just like the hot chick" Eddie said, glaring. "Nah man, I already got Jessica" Peter responded cockily. Eddie remembered that, feeling quite silly. "Well then, let's get to work" Eddie said, clearly wanting to change the subject. "Cool cool" Peter said, as the two wandered.

It had been around two hours with no success, even from the Heroes using the back-alleys. So, a tired and hungry Eddie and Peter decided to head to Mancini's early to catch a meal. They contacted the Heroes who said that 'they might as well join soon, but the two might need to get take out'. Peter understood. As a hero, you had to always stay out of the public eye, even in costume. It was incredible to work with fellow heroes, ones who knew his strife, but he knew he had to keep his identity private. HAD TO.

The two rolled up to Mancini's, and reserved their usual outside table, and ordered the usual thing. The waiter came up, smiled, and stated "What would you two want?" "The usual" Peter said, snapping and pointing. "Just think, how many times have we sat here? We've sat here, after and before work, and all those years it led to this, working with real heroes." "I know man, it's been at least 5 years since we got outta high school" Eddie stated, reminiscing good memories. The two sat in silence for a minute, before realizing that the 'famed fast service' the restaurant had hadn't come yet. And that's when the screaming started.

Peter stood up, knocking over the table, with Eddie desperately trying to catch. He recognized some of the employees scrambling for their lives, and looked a round nervously, landing on Eddie who was definitely out of his league here. He had never wanted to go into danger, unlike Peter who had applied every other month to be one of those overseas reporters. _At least if I can't suit up, I can get these people out of here,_ He thought, confident as hell. "C'mon Eddie!" He called over the bustle.

"Why?! Just Why?!...:" He muttered, frustrated. Peter leaped over a table, covering up his athleticism by purposefully falling. It was controlled, but still sent a sharp pain up his arms. _Sloppy. Let's hope your reaction time is better than that_ Peter thought, physically nodding to brush off bad thoughts, and pain. Mostly pain. Eddie gave him a look, before the two entered the building.

The first thing they noticed was the out of control fire raging in the kitchen. Then, they noticed it. It looked human, but it was too grey and stiff to be human. It wore a tattered yellow uniform of sorts, and lumbered around, looking for people. Not people, a person. The phrase it uttered in some version of Darth vader mixed with lung cancer was "Where is he?!", which further proved Peter's hypothesis. _Damn heroes shoulda given me their fuckin phone numbers or somethin_ Peter raged internally, gauging the situation. _I need to find a place to suit up_ He thought, looking towards his gym bag around his shoulders. It contained some journalistic stuff, but under that was his flame retardant suit with night vision scopes. It look like a hoodie with some jeans, but it genuinely worked for him. At least, for now.

The creature turned, staring at the two staring back through the crowd of panicking civilians. Suddenly, Peter heard a voice that threw his concentration off. "PETEY!" Jessica called, rushing through. It was the fastest he'd ever seen her do anything, as of yet. She ran and nearly crashed into, Peter fuming with admiration, love, and anger. "What the HELL are you doing here?!" He called, Eddie nodding along.

"I heard there was an attack; I just wanted to know you were ok" She said, relieving her stress with tears. "Look, it's nice and all, but we should ALL be getting out of here" Eddie pointed out, noticing the grey man walking towards them "ARE YOU HIM?!" He screeched, with Jessica flinching. "All right let's go" Peter called, as the three ran out. He turned at the last second, to see a group of cooks cluttered in the back, hiding from the monstrosity lurking.

 _Damn it_ Peter thought, before sneaking back into the fray. He rolled under the burning doorframe of his favorite pizzeria, and afterwards turned to get his costume out of his bag. "AHAAAAA!" The grey monster called, "I HAVE FOUND YOU". Peter stared back in horror, before dodging a wide swipe from the creature. He ran away, trying to find a place to hide. Peter was fairly confident in his dressing skills; he could take his costume on and off in under a minute. But he needed a hiding place to do that.

The grey creature searched, swaying violently to find Peter. He tucked himself into the burning kitchen, coughing up a storm, fighting the burning in his throat ,and the feeling of falling asleep and never waking up. He quickly got into his hooded spider costume, and flipped out from his hiding spot.

"I'd make a joke about zombies, but naaahhh!" He called cockilly. The creature chuckled an airy choking chuckle, before saying "YOU MADE A GRAVE MISTAKE". He slammed his fists into the ground, sending a shockwave into the ground, knocking Peter back into a support pillar. He grazed off of it painfully, slamming into the ground. The chefs screamed in terror, before the grey zombie turned to them. "STAY BACK FROM THEM" Peter called, shooting a web at the monster's legs, making him slip.

The employees ran past Peter, thanking him as they left. After they were gone, he noticed that the roof of the building was caving in, and one or two more of those...whatever they were would make the building collapse. "PETE!" Jessica called from outside. "Don't worry J-Ma'am, I'm searching for him" Peter said, masking his voice.

 _Where are those fucking Heroes already?_ Peter thought in a rage, before punching the grey man, causing it to stumble. Thankfully, to his delight, as he looked towards Jessica, he could see the silver glow of the White Tiger's claws, as she flipped over some citizens still hanging around the battle site. Peter couldn't see Iron Fist, until he punched a hole in the wall, with his iron fist.

Peter was temporarily amazed, before dodging a blow from the grey man. "So, who's this weirdo?!" Ava called scratching the thing, before it responded "I WILL SHOCK AND TREMBLE THE EARTH ITSELF" "I guess...the Shocker?" Peter asked, looking to Ava. She nodded, before flipping, and kicking the newly named Shocker.

Danny marvelled at how well Ava was working with the Spider Man, the one he was just enemies with mere hours ago. "Where's Peter?!" Danny called over the din. "Oh jesus, THAT'S a story for ya'. Look, for now just trust me, and take this...Shocker down!" Peter called to his temporary ally. The shocker grew tired of these fools' banter, and slammed his fists into Ava and Peter's chest, causing them to fly through the wall behind them and outside onto the pavement. Danny gasped, before whipping his iron fist around, and slamming the ground in front of Shocker. He was knocked back and blinded by the light, but at the same time, the building around Danny creaked, before beginning to collapse.

Danny began to run, but tripped over a burning plank of wood. Shocker grabbed for his leg, but Danny kicked at his arm, breaking the arm for sure. Danny started to run again, this time taking off like a sprinter. He ran a wide arc of some rubble, but in doing so, Danny was struck on the shoulder with a falling brick. He roared in pain, before falling on the ground right outside of the crumbled building.

The Shocker had to have been killed. The three heroes got up weary and in great pain, but decided to brush it off. "Why do we do this shit, seriously?" Ava asked, in ear shot of a child with her parent. The two frowned at her. She rolled her eyes discreetly in her mask. "You did pretty good, for a newbie" Ava said to Peter, gently patting him on the back.

The two stood there until they heard the sirens. "Look, I know we usually never do this, but we should bail before Misty yells at us again" Ava explained hastily. "Um what and who?" Peter asked. "Oh shit you're not Danny are you?" Ava asked, "Sorry so used to talking to him" "Can you stop cursing?" The mother asked, visibly triggered. "Frick the heck off lady" She responded as she turned around and hobbled towards Danny.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" Danny kept whispering, clearly not 'fine'. Ava helped him up, using his weaker arm. "My shoulder has been trained for this" Danny said, giving Ava a handsome, reassuring smile. She smiled back, glad to be a part of this team. It was a bit harder without Luke, seeing as he was the only one with useful powers. The three ran, supporting Danny as they ran off. Misty got out of her patrol car, and sighed as she looked at the carnage. The rubble stirred.

…

Peter was hostilely interrogated by Danny, well as hostilely as someone with an injured shoulder could muster. "WHO are you?!" Danny vigorously asked, fire in his eyes. "Ummm. Well, you know this thing us vigilantes have CALLED anonymity? Yeah I have it, and want it" Peter replied, snarkily. "C'mon boy, cut the bullshit" Ava said, stoic for once. "Well I'll show if you show" Peter responded, trying to be serious. Ava raised an eyebrow, visibly shown even through her mask.

Danny scowled, before pausing, and sitting down in the dingy room they found in a warehouse. He grabbed his shoulder and let out a silent moan, before quickly removing his bandana. Ava flinched a little, but went along with Danny's plan. Peter smiled, before removing his mask next. Danny and Ava gaped as they realized that their ex-enemy was the reporter they worked with.

"Surprise?" Peter sheepishly said. Ava followed suit with the two boys, and Peter turned to her saying "I thought you were Latina. Not being racist, just...perceptive." Danny chuckled quietly, before saying "This is the dumbest thing any three of us could've done. You are a total stranger" "Well sometimes moments like these is just how life goes, mate." Peter said, "You saw how we fought out there, no?" "Yeah, we fought like absolute shit" Ava retorted.

Peter glared, before resuming his point, "Look, I'm sorry I attacked your friend, wherever he may be (Danny and Ava fell silent temporarily). I think that we can make amends, and learn to just, join forces. What's better than a superhero? Multiples working together,eh?" Danny and Ava both agreed that this Spider Man could work well on their team.

"You've heard of us, right? The Heroes for Hire" Ava asked with a faux dramatic voice. "Yeah, you punch the shit out of thugs for cash. I mean, that sounds all good, but why do it for money. Why not do it for the fun?" Peter asked. Danny and Ava shifted awkwardly, before Danny dismissively said "You're in!"

Peter whooped silently, before raising his hand for a high five. Ava touched her hand against his timidly, before saying "Put your mask back on, kid. We need to figure out who that guy was coming after you" "Ummm, weeEEll…" Peter said, staring at the dirty floor. "Is there something you wanna share?" Danny asked, recognizing that tone and look. Danny had many secrets of his own, ones he wouldn't even share with Luke. "Well, the thing is, I know that thing. I thought it died, and I know for sure he wouldn't be a villain." Peter started saying, bringing up feelings of guilt he dared not bring up.

"It's a man?!" Ava asked. "Yes….yes he was. Origin story time!" He said somber, adding a little life near the end. "His name was Hermann. Dr. Hermann Schultz…"

…

 _Holy shit, this is the coolest thing ever, If I die today, it'll be a happy death_ I thought, sitting in THE Dr. Schultz's lab. I was adjusting my superfluous glasses, I only really need them for very far distances. I just wanted to look smarter than I am, I think? ANYWAYS, he came in with this big freakin machine on this cart, right? I had no clue what it did, well maybe a little. It was this tremor machine, like the one Tesla made(?)

I mentioned it to the doctor, and he responded "Tesla's original plan was NOT to tear apart a building almost, but to make an oscillator. BUT, I know this sounds crazy, but I want to make a machine that vibrates an object, AND THEN collects its energy and uses it. Think about the applications, I could gently shake a building, and use the energy it collects to power the lights and printers, etc." I shook my head, it sounded pretty cool. It WOULD help the energy crisis, and make a cool article. Hermann paced towards his machine, ready to activate his test run for the Daily Bugle.

I sat there, waiting anxiously for the best science experiment of all time, and flinched at the whir of the machine as it powered up. "Just so you know, if anything goes wrong, I need you to get into that blast chamber over there, k?" Hermann asked me, chuckling a little. _You're just telling me that, now?_ I thought, before brushing off that thought. However, I subconsciously scooted towards the blast chamber just in case.

The machine was now not only lighting up, but had begun to whirr at a high pitch. "IS...it?" I started to ask, when Hermann started sweating profusely. My heart instantly dropped at that moment, and my fight-or-flight started to kick in. Hermann said shakily, "You're gonna need to get out...NOW. I'm going to try and shut it off from here." I hesitated, but complied, rushing to the 'blast chamber', watching the scientist nervously.

He moved hella fast for an old-ish man, fiddling with switches, and whipping out tools to try and fix the potential bomb he had. _C'mon hurry hurry_ I thought, before unlocking the door, and rushing over to help. "No NO! What're you doing?!" Hermann shouted, but I quickly replied "Before I got myself into this dead end job, I pursued science, let me help!"

He stared at me again, before moving aside to let me assist. He nodded his head after we had worked for 30 seconds, and instantly I knew what was going to happen. "I'll try to decrease the rupture distance, but I don't know what's happening with the Cavorite core right now…" I didn't and still didn't know what 'cavorite' was, but it's bad when it goes boom. I barely got to safety before it burst, sending me ricocheting out of the room and sailing towards the pavement

 _No it can't be_ I thought, before returning to reality, and grabbing a hold of the side of the building with my spider powers, the glass rubbing against my fingers, before I finally came to a stop. In the chaos that ensued, I was able to crash to the ground, rather ungracefully. People ran around in every direction; the one thought rising to my head (for some reason) was _It's just a prank._ I shook that out of my head, before looking up at the smoke cloud. _Ogod ogod whyyyyyyyyyy?_ I thought, freaking out to the point of hysterics. I stayed there staring at the destruction long after the first aid responders arrived.

…

Ava and Danny stared at him for a long time, before nodding and getting up as one unit. _These two are natural for each other,_ Peter thought, before turning to them in wonder. "So, what you're saying is that this Hermann guy died from a 'Cavorite' explosion, and came back to life as a superpowered zombie you can make earthquakes?" Ava asked.

Peter visibly thought for a second, before responding with "Yes". Danny nodded, before asking "So how are we gonna catch this guy?" "I have an idea, I believe" Peter responded, before flailing his hands in excitement, saying, "I gotta lab, like a secret one, one you'd see in a comic, yeah?! AAAAAAND I retrieved a chunk of the cavorite stuff, and I think I can make a gadget that can capture and/or rehabilitate the doc" Ava nodded in approval, before asking, "SOOO where is this lab?" "A basement….in a vacant lot, not mine." "Take us then" Danny stated, before the three left.

The three entered Peter's secret lab, closing the camouflaged hatch behind them. Ava turned, geeking out at Peter's half-hoodie superhero costume, before sitting at Peter's desk with Danny. Unfortunately, there were only two seats, so Ava scooted onto the seat Danny occupied. Danny moved, secretly smiling, enjoying the intimate company of Ava. "So, you see this here?" Peter asked, gesturing to a metallic cube. It was a light grey, with little hearts painted on the side.

"Ignore the decals, there's just a reference. This crate is essentially a mini Cavorite reactor, ANNND if I can activate this thing while he's near me, I could remove the toxin from his system, and then we could resuscitate him. Sound like a plan?" Peter asked, obviously excited. The other two were silent for about 30 seconds, before Ava gawked, shouting "You're such a neeeeeeeeeeerd! And I love it!" Peter blushed, brushing off the compliment, before saying, "Hey is the other guy available?"

"Who, Luke?" Danny said, before quickly answering his own question "No." "Well, this might be a little harder then." Peter said, blowing air through his lips discontentedly. He ruffled his hair, searching for a solution. "I'll need...someone with the strength to pin him down. Decrease his mobility entirely. Anyone up for that task?" "Couldn't you do that with your webs?" Ava asked curiously. "Nah, he'll vibrate out of them, I need someone quick, strong, and can get the job done." "I could knock him out with my iron fist" Danny offered, but Peter shook his head, "Little violence as possible. He's still a friend, and he's scared".

Danny turned to Ava, asking "Could you do it?" "Depends on how much strength my amulet can give me, but I can incapacitate any pleb" Peter nearly laughed at the delivery Ava gave, but decided against it, because she was the girl you definitely wanted to have on a relative good side. "So, we ready to do this?!" Peter asked excitedly.

"Sure" David responded lukewarmly ,and the three realized none of them had their costumes on. "Ummmmmmm, get a corner?" Peter responded, raising his arms awkwardly. The three crouched down, dressing quickly, Peter finishing first. He might've taken a peek at Ava. Might've.

The three suited-up vigilantes strode into the middle of Gay street, ready to bait and catch the Shocker. Danny turned, searching wildly for any sign of the Shocker. "D'you think he even got out of the wreckage?" Ava asked nervously, dropping her voice to a cute timbre. "Of COURSE he did. He's our villain AND a zombie. Two great criteria for surviving anything really" Peter explained, his mask expressing his jovial mannerisms. Ava was astonished at how expressive his mask was, she bet she could even see him blush, despite the mask's redness. _I'm glad my costume isn't THAT expressive_ Ava thought, looking down at her chest.

"See anything?" Danny asked in his convincing gruff and stoic voice. "Not yet, in fact this is really fucking awkward, just three vigilante-slash-strippers standing in the road waiting for something, and holding up traffic." Ava pointed out, uncomfortable at all the watchful eyes gazing down on the three. "Hey everyone!" Peter called, waving to everyone to try and diffuse the awkward situation. Danny face-palmed, before gesturing the other two to follow him.

They ran into the nearby back-alley, Danny visibly irked. "Ok, maybe we should've come up with an actual plan, instead of ad libbing, and geeking out. SERIOUSLY, what did you think would happen, standing in the middle of gay street like a bunch of fuc- weirdos. We are heroes, supposed to instill confidence and power to the ordinary citizens, not be bad cosplayers." Danny lectured, Ava and Peter especially feeling bad.

"Look, I don't mean to be angry, but what we stand for should ooze confidence to the public. K?" Danny said, trying to make his teammates confident again. "Y'know I had a great thought just now" Peter muttered. "Hmm?" Danny grunted, raising an eyebrow above his yellow mask. "I wish I had like, four tentacle arms that could hold Shocker, then we wouldn't need to stumble through this awkwardly." He added, Ava nodding in agreement.

"BUUUT tentacle arms are nasty. They'd get everywhere and would freak people out." Ava pointed out. Danny wasn't sure that he enjoyed this strange chemistry between the two other heroes, but decided to keep that to himself. "Anyways, do any of us KNOW where Shocker is?! How will we find him?" Danny asked. The three of them stood in silence, pondering. "WAIT!" Peter called, whipping his phone out from his pouch. He sent Eddie a text, explaining, "I'm gonna get my bud Eddie to broadcast from the Bugle the sighting of us on Gay Street. Then, if he hears about it, or sees the influx of people…."

"Ahhhhhh, nice" Ava said, going for a high five. "I don't do those, my social ineptness allows me not to." Peter said, before walking back onto the street. Ava shot a look at him of utter confusion. Suddenly, the street was piled up with eager fangirls, boys, and families wanting to see the mythical vigilantes. _Most of these people probably didn't even know we existed_ Ava thought, as she walked into the crowd. Several women roared at her appearance, and she giggled nervously. Danny didn't like this plan, _All these people are gonna be in danger_ he thought uneasily.

Peter waved at everyone, Ava noted that behind the mask Peter was much more charismatic. _Not bad_ She thought, before waving along. The crowd was roaring now, and Danny desperately tried to signal to them that Shocker was on the way. The crowd quieted as they saw Danny's arm gesture to use inside voices. "Hello...New York? Um, so if you haven't heard there's a bad guy on the loose. Tall, grey, and can cause tremors. SO we'd appreciate it if you cleared the area, K?" Danny finished, arms out like _Please?_

People all around started nodding, but many stayed. Danny face-palmed frustratingly. "OUT! NOW!" He roared, scaring many of the remainers. Suddenly, the road split and shook, as Shocker walked towards the street slowly and confidently. Chaos erupted, as people ran for their lives in all directions but towards it. Danny tensed for the attack, as Shocker sent a wave towards them, knocking him and Danny to the ground. Ava was barely standing, digging her claws into the pavement.

After the onslaught, she launched herself towards Shocker, claws ready to tear. Her amulet sent green beams wrapping around her form, and ending in her now yellow eyes. Shocker looked shocked as the teenage latina pounced on him, strangling him in a choke-hold Hector would've been proud of. Shocker spasmed, trying to escape, before sending out waves of vibrations. Danny and Peter, but were knocked back with every wave. "Get the cube!" Danny called to Peter over the din; Peter activated it, the hearts on the side glowing. "AVA! HURRY! THe Cavorite is unstable, and I dunno how long I can keep the reaction." She could barely nod, as she used most of her energy keeping the hold. However with each vibration she felt a burning sensation in her belly, and felt weaker and weaker.

 _FUCK fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck you fuck me_ Ava thought, drowning out every other feeling physically and mentally. Peter whipped the cube towards Shocker, blocking his eyes from the brightness of Ava's eyes. Ava was sweating profusely through her suit, and her choke hold was loosened so much Shocker could wiggle around a bit. _Please no, Ava you stupid bitch get yourself together. The mission isss...sssss..ssss. HOOOOLY SHIT,_ She thought, her face blushing a bright red as she spasmed with the vibrations.

"Keep 'im right there!" Peter called, as the cube began to whir. _Something doesn't look right with Ava_ Danny thought nervously, as he made a split decision to leap in the air, slamming his iron fist into the ground. Shocker was sent flying backwards, Ava upwards, but she managed to land on her feet before falling into a split. _Work on your form girl_ she thoughts jocularly, before she stood up. "SHIT! My cube!" Peter said, flipping towards Shocker. Shocker stared at the device, then Peter before sending his biggest tremor at the three, so big it shattered all the windows on the street.

The three violently bounced off of the street, but got up surprisingly quickly. Peter asked "How the hell are you not dead yet?" to his teammates, Danny responding "I did this once, break all the windows and cause a huge explosion" "Not gonna ask" Peter responded, turning to their foe. "Nah, it's good. I'll just tell you later IF you pass our entrance test" Danny responded, smirk on his face. Ava was standing there still aching, holding herself, and rubbing her thighs subconsciously.

"You ok?" Danny asked, Ava simply nodded through her heavy breathing. "I'm hot- I'm in h- I FEEL HOT. Like sweating y'know" She said like a tumultuous storm. Danny nodded, missing the obvious signs of what was really going on. Shocker sent a vibration to a car, as it flipped through the air towards Peter. He dodged, but in doing so the cube fell from around his neck, and went flying towards the pavement.

"NO!" called Peter as he watched his highly reactive invention land on the street perfectly. The Cavorite reactor didn't go off. _Holy shit, phew…_ Peter thought, as he webbed Shocker's arm, swinging it and knocking the malformed thing over. Ava jumped, slamming her body into the creature, feeling dirty and soiled after being near it. It was, essentially, a big 'fuck you' to the Shocker. Peter picked up the slowly dying cube, and activated it again, sending a harsh beam at the Shocker. Danny and Ava closed their eyes quickly, and when the light settled, Ava was laying on top of an old man in next-to-no clothes.

Ava wanted to vomit, rolling off Hermann as quickly as possible. "D-did it work?!" Peter called, rushing over to Hermann, and more specifically Ava. "Yeah, I think" She muttered, gagging a bit, her body turning from an enjoyable tingle to a pulsing sore. Peter looked elated to see that not only his plan worked but his new teammates were safe. The three heard a familiar sound...sirens and even news vans. "Hey! The Bugle's here? Wanna catch a ride?" Danny asked over the din. Peter nodded his head furiously, Danny just remembered the bounty he had. He frowned, helping Ava up, and escorting her to the newspeople.

Peter slipped away before anyone could see him. The correspondent held out a microphone to the dizzy, weak-in-the-knees, and heavily blushing Ava, who wanted anything but this faggot to interview her now. "How is it being a superhero, and now even a public figure? The work you do is incredible for our burrough…"

"Y-yeah, it's-huh-it's really hot, I mean hard. Y'know, working all the time taking down the baddies and keepin' the kiddies safe. Y'know what  
I mean?" Ava gasped out, degenerating even to Spanish, "Oh, Dios mío, Danny, ¿podemos irnos?" Danny had no idea what she said, but the looks she was giving was that she didn't want to be here. _Same here, Ava, same here_ He thought, as he blocked their faces from the incessant flash. "NO MORE QUESTIONS!" He roared, the reporters and photographers moving backwards in fright. Danny took Ava's hand in his own, dragging her away, until they were safe from the crowds. "You ok?" He asked, and she nodded, saying "I'll need a bath, and maybe a loooong nap"

Danny could agree, looking at her from head to toe, noticing the fatigue and sweat. He took her to the mechanic shop where his car was being fixed, before plopping her in the passenger seat, and taking her home. She rested her head gently on him, Danny smiling all the way there.

…

After she had woken, the two of them went to the Daily Bugle's offices, and straight to Jameson's office. "SO! My men caught you on tv, well for a little bit. And it doesn't seem like you've found the Spider-kid." Jameson remarked. "He's one of us now" Danny said, which took Ava aback. _He has such authority in his voice_ She thought, before turning to Jameson scowling.

"OH! OH, is that so? So, you're willing to tarnish your shaky name already by associating yourself with an enemy of the law? Y-y'know it'd be a f-u-c-k-i-n-g shame if someone pointed out that despite you getting the baddies in jail, that you spread terror to the projects AND cause thousands of dollars in property damage. It would be a damned shame if the public stopped believing in you because a criminal is among your ranks. Fuckin' hell, you kids are retarded. More retarded than even mine, and THEY'RE 8" Jameson tiraded, snarkily and still in control.

Danny shifted awkwardly, before saying "I stand my ground. Spider-Man maybe a crook, but he defiantly fights for good. I'm willing to look past the mistakes of men and women, and fight for them if they have no platform to fight for themselves". "And why? Are there skeletons in your closet?" Jameson replied, his eyebrows hungrily rising. Ava retorted now, yelling so loudly the people in the office perked up to see this act of defiance, "Look! You may not agree with our methods, put you promised us pay, not to belittle my friend, got it punk? And just cuz you say fuckity fuck this and pissity shit that doesn't mean you're tough. So pay up or fuck off"

Jameson laughed a hearty (alcohol induced) laugh, before flipping his swivel chair around, not meaning to do business. "Hey, snark chick, make sure your tv is on channel 11 at 5:00, I'll have something special cooked up then." Jameson said quietly, and menacingly. The two Heroes left in a huff, Peter smiling at them. They had finally broken through Jameson.

Danny and Ava stopped by the police station, this time out of costume. Ava's rest rejuvenated her, she was able to walk straight at least. They looked throughout the station, garnering looks from the officers, but they found the person they needed. "Hey?...Luke" Ava whispered, as he turned around lifelessly. When he saw his friends however he perked up, and scooted over to make room for the two. Danny had chosen to wear a green hoodie, that had obviously been through the wash a couple of times, with jeans. Ava on the other hand chose short track shorts, and a low cut tank top.

 _Nice choice_ Danny thought, before asking "Did they find her" Luke nodded, wanting to keep the subject out of conversation. Ava looked at the floor, sullen, before asking "Wanna hang out at my place?" Luke and Danny looked at each other, before deciding unanimously ' _Why not?'_. Ava smiled, wrapping her arms around both of her friends as they headed to Danny's sports car.

Later that night, Ava received a text, startling Luke especially. "Sorry Lukey, not the cops. It's...Sam?" Ava said, walking out of the room. Danny paused the movie they were watching, he couldn't remember its name but damn was it scary. Danny looked to Luke, shrugging nervously. "Hey, man. If you like this girl, why don't you say something?" Luke asked. "Nervous" Danny muttered, Luke laughing, responding "The GREAT, STRONG, BRAVE Iron Fist is scared of one goofy, cute, small, latina girl? Yeeesh Danny, what happens when some monster radiated ghost from space attacks?"

Danny was blushing heavily, and stood up, deciding to say something. "Go get 'er man, I'll be right there" Luke said, and Danny snuck downstairs to find Ava, but she found him first, bumping nit ohim. "OH! Heeeeello? What're you doing down here?" Ava asked, skeptical as usual. "Just wanted to see where you were" Danny responded. "Oh well, Sam invited me to a party, and I need a ride. Wanna come?" She asked. "What, take you? Or-" Danny asked, but Ava responded quickly with "Sure."

Danny heart sunk instantly, and he watched Ava go get her coat. "HEY! Danny, could you tell Luke to um, well, not be in my room while I'm gone?" Ava requested, Danny nodding. He walked upstairs, sending the message, and the three exited the warm glow of the household. "See ya guys, I need some sleep "Luke said, walking off, giving Danny his chance. Danny hopped into his sports car, staring at Ava discreetly. _Fuck man,_ He thought, surprised at how upset he was.

"You remember where Sam's house is, right?" Ava asked and Danny nodded. The engine hummed into life, as the journey began. Danny was silent most of the trip, Ava noticed this growing increasingly worried. "There something wrong?" Ava asked. "You don't think it's weird that some rich dude asks you to a party in the middle of the night, alone?" Danny asked. Ava was taken aback, apologizing and saying "NO! He asked all of us too. I'm sorry, I sometimes mince words, silly me, I want you to come with me. Cheer up, I wouldn't dream of leaving my teammate behind" Danny smiled, growing in confidence. She returned the smile, and they talked all the way up Sam's driveway. As they shut the door, the night was grew quiet.

Next time...

The Heroes fight for their honor against the Kronos Corporation, a shady company hellbent on destroying their reputation


End file.
